Reading Time: 3 minutes When it comes to marketing, it’s important to know the product. And this is never more important than when selling crops. “Some crops are more complex than others to grade,” said Neil Blue, market specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development in Vermilion. “For example, canola is typically graded based on appearance, smell, moisture content, […] Read more
Boost the bottom line with grain grading
The Canada Grain Commission’s Harvest Sample Program gives you an edge when marketing your harvest
U.S. says unapproved genetically modified wheat found in Montana
Reuters — Monsanto’s experimental genetically engineered wheat, never approved for sale, has been found growing in a second U.S. state, and regulators said Friday they could not explain how the plants escaped field trials that ended almost a decade ago. About a year after discovery of the company’s unapproved wheat in a single Oregon field […] Read more
The bottom line on grain storage
Reading Time: 2 minutes AARD Release / Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development has a pair of new fact sheets on the pros and cons of various grain storage options. “With record crop yields and transport delays of 2013, came greater interest of on-farm storage options,” said Jennifer Stoby, provincial market analyst for agriculture inputs. “Choosing the right grain storage […] Read more
Canadian Grain Commission looking for CPS Red or Red Winter wheat samples
Program helps marketers, and farmers who participate receive a free grade and protein analysis
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you’re growing Canada Prairie Spring Wheat or Canada Western Red Winter Wheat, then the Canadian Grain Commission wants your samples. “These are minor classes of wheat that not all producers grow,” said Twylla McKendry, program manager for Analytical Services with the Canadian Grain Commission. “We don’t have a lot of people in our database […] Read more
Unusually large Canadian wheat cargo set to unload in France
Paris | Reuters –– An unusually large cargo of Canadian wheat was due to unload at Rouen, northern France, this week, port data showed on Thursday, adding to evidence that buyers are being forced to offset lower quality grain from this year’s French harvest. France usually imports small amounts of high-quality Canadian wheat — used […] Read more
When should you fertilize winter wheat?
Research has shown that fertilizing at seeding can be very effective — and a big time saver come spring
Reading Time: 2 minutes AARD Release / Once the decision to grow winter wheat has been made, one question that frequently comes up is when to fertilize. “Traditionally, winter wheat has been seeded with very little fertilizer and then fertilized in the spring,” said Doon Pauly, agronomy research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development in Lethbridge. “Sometimes, however, […] Read more
Calculators needed to make sense of Prairie wheat bids
CNS Canada — Consistent wheat pricing can still be a struggle to find across Western Canada, two years into the new open market. A lack of consistency can make it difficult to compare pricing from one delivery point to the next, leaving farmers uncertain just how much their wheat is worth. While one elevator may […] Read more
Lethbridge cash barley market feeling pressure
CNS Canada — The cash barley market in the strategically important area of Lethbridge, Alta. is under pressure right now because of weather issues and a delayed harvest, industry watchers said. “The market is under a bit of pressure but we’re not getting hit with any great volume yet,” said Allen Pirness, senior trader at […] Read more
U.S. wheat futures pressured by weak French market
CNS Canada — U.S. wheat futures have fallen to four-year lows, but could have more room to the downside as large global supplies and declining world prices weigh on values. In addition to the ample world supply situation, much of the recent weakness in the U.S. wheat market is tied to a “freefall” in the […] Read more
Frozen barley crops to push craft beer prices higher
Winnipeg | Reuters –– Beer prices in North America may rise next year as brewers and maltsters face higher costs after cold, wet weather damaged Canadian barley crops and left farmers and tipplers crying in their beer. Canada, the world’s second-biggest exporter of malting barley, was already harvesting its smallest crop since 1968, before a […] Read more